AG Mike DeWine Files Appeal to Close Toledo Abortion Facility

Abortion Facility Fights Health and Safety Regulation

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Yesterday, Attorney General Mike DeWine filed an appeal in the Ohio Supreme Court in the case of Capital Care Network of Toledo v. State of Ohio Department of Health, defending the Department of Health's decision to close a Toledo abortion facility. After failing to secure a transfer agreement with a local hospital, Capital Care Network of Toledo contracted with an out-of-state hospital in Michigan. The Ohio Department of Health rejected the agreement since it did not fit the law's "local" requirement.

"The abortion industry's retaliation against basic health and safety measures is a glaring sign of their true colors," said Devin Scribner, executive director of Ohio Right to Life. "If this were any other sector of the health care industry, people would be demanding the highest standards of care for the women walking into this facility, and rightly so. We strongly reject the notion that the abortion industry should be given a free pass, and we applaud the Attorney General for ensuring that Ohio's law is applied neutrally and fairly for the women of Ohio."

Ohio's original transfer agreement law dates back to 1996 and applies to all ambulatory surgical facilities. In 2013, Ohio Right to Life advocated for a law that would prohibit taxpayer-funded hospitals from entering into such agreements with abortion facilities. Before the passage of the law, the University of Toledo, which was in contract with the facility, voluntarily terminated its agreement with Capital Care Network of Toledo. Unable to secure an agreement with one of the several private hospitals in Lucas County, Capital Care negotiated one with the University of Michigan.

“There was once a time when the pro-choice crowd intoned 'safe, legal, and rare' as their rallying cry," said Scribner. "But for several years now, we have seen Ohio's abortion industry actively rejecting and violating health and safety measures. The Ohio Department of Health recorded 21,186 abortions in the state of Ohio in 2014. Abortion is far from rare, and it is never 'safe.' It is only legal."

In 2014, 733 abortions were recorded in Lucas County, a decrease of just over 50 percent from the previous year. Two weeks ago, demolition began on the former Center for Choice, the other Toledo abortion facility that was shut down in 2013 for failing to meet health and safety standards. Pro-life leaders in Toledo have bought the land and are building an abortion memorial, Hope Park, in its place. Click here to learn more about Hope Park.

Founded in 1967, Ohio Right to Life, with more than 45 chapters and local affiliates, is Ohio's oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement in Ohio, ORTL works through legislation and education to promote and defend innocent human life from conception to natural death.